The
six months went by, but the promises of the German Government were not
fulfilled. Instead the submarine war brought the United States into the
struggle and this, in the words of Philipp Scheidemann, leader of the
German majority Socialists, has been "the most noticeable result."
None the less, the submarine, used ruthlessly, without restrictions,
proved itself to be an unrivalled weapon of destruction, difficult to
combat by reason of its ability to stalk and surprise its quarry, while
remaining to all intents and purposes invisible. It has taken heavy toll
of ships and men, and has caused privation among the peoples of the
Entente nations; it is still unconquered, but month by month of the
present year its destructiveness has been impaired until now there may
be little doubt that the number of submarines destroyed every month
exceeds the number of new submarines built, while the production of ship
tonnage in England and the United States greatly outweighs the losses.
In other words, the submarine, as an element in the settling of the war
in a manner favorable to Germany, has steadily lost influence, and,
while it is not now a negligible factor, it is, at least, a minor one
and growing more so.
Secret figures of the British Admiralty on submarine losses and world
ship-building issued in March, 1918, show that from the outbreak of war,
in August, 1914, to the end of 1917, the loss was 11,827,080 tons.
Adding the losses up to April of the present year--when the submarine
sinkings began to show a markedly decreased ratio--and we get a total of
13,252,692 tons.
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